GETAWAY
POWDER TRIP Cat skiing in B.C. + a half-dozen teenagers = an unforgettable day on the slopes BY BOB LEGASA Scenes from our “Kids’ Road Trip.” BOB LEGASA PHOTOS
8 INLANDER DECEMBER 2013
B
ack in the late ’70s, the movie Animal House hit the big screen. Plenty of classic lines came from that movie. One scene that stands out is when Dean Wormer shut down Delta House and the Delta boys had one way to get over their problem: “Road Trip!” Now imagine getting together a group of kids 12 to 17 years old, and taking them not only on their first skiing road trip, but capping it off with a day of deep powder cat-skiing with Big Red Cats. I travel the legendary Powder Highway in Canada with my good friend Tommy Frey every year on a 10-day powder-skiing road trip. We always come home with fun stories, and our kids have grown up watching the videos of all the fun that takes place on these adventures. Every year they ask “When can we go on the road trip?” It finally happened last December. We were having a discussion with Paula Gaul from Big Red Cats in Rossland, B.C.; she had mentioned their cat-skiing operation now includes kids 12
and older. The wheels started turning and the plan was laid out: “Kids’ Road Trip!” A few phone calls later, we were on track with six friends, ranging from 12 to 17, who have known each other for years. Sandpoint’s Jeff Cates said his 14-year-old stepson Michael Plaster was consumed with going: “Michael kept telling all of his friends at school what he was getting to do. He had it scheduled into his phone; that’s all he could talk about. He was very, very excited to go.” We decided we would start the kids off with a day at Whitewater Ski Resort outside the funky ski town of Nelson, B.C. In 2012, Nelson was voted by the readers of Powder magazine as the No. 1 ski town in North America in their “Ski Town Throwdown” competition. What better place then Nelson to start immersing kids into the ski culture. On Friday, Feb. 8, our day started with a spectacular drive up the canyon to Whitewater. The kids were in awe. “Humongous” is not a word you hear every day, but apparently
Michael likes to use it. We were all taken in by the beauty of these spectacular mountains, cast against the bluebird skies. It doesn’t get much better than this when you’re going riding. It was a crisp, clear morning and with temps in the low teens, we were looking to start our day somewhere in the sun. Behind the Summit Chair the sun was cresting, making our decision to start there a no-brainer. We hot-lapped highspeed groomed runs on Bonanza and Motherlode in the sun and ventured around a little. Directly under the Summit Chair, we found a run with big, soft bumps that was calling our name. Having the kids ski the “Hollywood” Line directly under the chairlift was a fun way to put a little pressure on them; the kids had to be on their “A game” and ski under the watchful eye of a very vocal audience. Next we were off to the Terrain Park, which siblings JoJo and JJ Jaeger had their eyes on from the minute we arrived. Whitewater does a fabulous job with their Terrain Park; there are plenty of features and a good flow. It was a great